Monday, February 1, 2016

Metuh’s torn statement linked Jonathan to N400m –EFCC

Following the charge of destruction of evidence filed against him, details have emerged about what the
National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa
Metuh, allegedly wrote in the torn statement while in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on January 5.

The court papers obtained by Punch on Sunday indicate that five operatives of the commission
witnessed the incident which was said to have happened on January 5,
2016, the day the PDP spokesperson was arrested.

The entry number 049 in the incident
duty log which was recorded at 4.30pm by an EFCC detective, Junaid
Sa’id, on January 5, 2016, reads,

“Destruction OF Written Statement: I
have booked the incident of tearing into pieces of statement by Mr.
Olisa Metuh, who was given his statement to endorse after volunteering
his statement and he decided to tear into pieces the third page of his
four-page statement.

“The torn statement has however been registered with the Exhibit Keeper. Entry made by Det. Junaid Sa’id.”

The document gives the timeline and
details of how Metuh’s arrest was effected at about 10.55am in his
residence at Prince and Princess Estate in Gudu, Abuja, on January 5, up
till when he allegedly tore part of the statement at about.4.25pm on
the same day.

It also indicates that Metuh had stated
in the part of the torn statement that the account in which the N400m
was paid was requested for by former President Goodluck Jonathan, for
payments to be made to settle some debts owed by the PDP.

It reads in part,

“12.30 hours: Mr. Metuh Olisa began to volunteer his statement under words of caution.

“15.30 hours: Mr. Metuh Olisa concluded
his statement which was of four pages. I passed the statements to the
team leader, CSP Ibrahim Musa, to read over and endorse accordingly but
in the process of reading and after endorsing pages one and two, he
swiftly tore into pieces page three of his statement which read that
former President Jonathan had asked him to make available, account
details owed by his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, and the debts
owed him personally and some media houses.

“He further stated that he gave the
account details of Destra Investments Ltd. to the President and
thereafter he received the payment of N400m into his company’s accounts
which he used for specific assignments given to him by the President of
which he was not willing to disclose for what purpose.

“I thereafter refused to give him page
four of his statement for endorsement because I did not want him to tear
it as well. This incidence (sic) happened in the presence of the
following officers: Mr. Ibrahim Musa, Mr. Wetkas Michael, Mr. Bello
Umar, Ms. Ibrahim, who were all carrying out their various assignments.

“16.30 hours: The torn page of the
statement which is in pieces was registered with the exhibit keeper and
the incident recorded in the incidence record book of the commission.”